It is no secret that bodybuilders often go through myriad health problems while training. These issues could range from mild dehydration to severely elevated protein and creatine levels. Although they painstakingly curate diets and exercises to get the desired anatomy, winning a title takes effort beyond that. Upcoming Mr. Olympia contender Chris Bumstead once talked about battling a kidney disease while competing for the championship.

The entire incident sounded as dangerous as it was in reality. While bodybuilders often face water retention issues, Bumstead soon realized that his problems had deeper roots. His concerns grew when he saw his legs suffer due to some compression socks on them. What was the matter?

Chris Bumstead got a proper diagnosis

When the Mr. Olympia contender saw his shins retain more water than normal, he realized something was wrong. He had put on weight all of a sudden and noticed that his legs and ankles were swelling abnormally. Alarm bells rang, and the bodybuilder began self-medicating and taking precautions. He got himself some compression socks with the hopes of getting the swelling down. However, things only grew worse from that point.

After getting his blood and urine tests done, Bumstead put on some compression socks and bought supplements. However, within a few hours, all his efforts to curb the issue were in vain. He exclaimed, “my legs had swollen over the compression socks”. Everything seemed abnormal and the athlete was alarmed. He recalled how he did not look in good shape, just like “a water buffalo”.

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A trip to the ER and three grueling nights later, Bumstead still didn’t have definite answers. However, doctors assured him that it had something to do with his kidney, and bodybuilding training did not affect it. The champion decided to go ahead, train, and participate while being on strong diuretics. Two weeks later, he got a bittersweet result. Bumstead was diagnosed with a rare autoimmune disease called IgA Nephropathy.

Essentially, the disease entailed his kidneys flaring up and attacking themselves on their own. This caused swelling, water retention, and many other associated issues that the bodybuilder suffered from. In fact, his autoimmune disease was responsible for an old mysterious health issue as well.

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Now, having his diagnosis in mind, the bodybuilder is all set to compete for the upcoming Mr. Olympia! Are you rooting for him?